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England's training sessions for a hot, dry T20 World Cup in India in February led them on midweek to a cool, drizzly Auckland, where they were forced to hold the final practice run ahead of their third game against the Kiwis indoors. The purpose isn't always clear what purpose these two-team contests fulfill, what valuable insights could possibly be gained – but on this occasion, for at least a squad member, that is not an issue.

The Batter's Changed Position: Starting Batsman to Middle Order

Tom Banton says he is “still learning now”, and if it is the kind of line regularly trotted out even by players who have already reached the peak of their sport, in his case it is undeniably true. After forging his reputation as a top-order batter, primarily as an opener, Banton now occupies a completely unfamiliar position, coming in at the middle order. “I didn't have too many conversations,” he said. “They simply brought me back into the team and informed me, ‘Your role will be in the lower batting lineup now.’”

Before his recall in June, 87% of Banton’s over 160 professional T20 appearances had been as an opener, a further portion at No3 and the remaining handful – but for seven balls at seventh spot in a T20 Blast game previously – at No 4. If the team plan to retain him in this new position he requires every chance to become accustomed to it, and he has figured out one thing: “Batting in the middle order,” he surmised, “is a lot harder than starting the innings.”

Varied Performances in the Tour

Banton said that “sometimes where it works well and it appears brilliant and on other occasions where it doesn’t”, and the initial matches of the winter in New Zealand have featured one of each. In the opener, he faced nine balls and made nine runs before holing out to the deep fielder; in the next game, he played a dozen balls, hit runs, and finished unbeaten.

Reflections on Comeback and Growth

The current series has seen Banton return to the nation in which he first played for his country in November 2019. Since then, he moved away of the side, made a brief return in recently and then passed a long period in the sidelines before coming back for Harry Brook’s initial match as skipper. “During the journey, it was strange,” he said. “It was six years ago when I started internationally. It feels like a lot has occurred in that time. I've discovered a lot about me. The few years after I was left out from England was a tough time for me. I had a couple of years stretch where I was finding my way.”

Backing from Coaching Staff

Currently, he has been given something new to work out. Banton is grateful to have been offered a return, and also for Brendon McCullum’s skill to put him at ease while he figures out how best to grasp it. “Baz came up to me before [Monday’s second T20] and said, ‘Head out and play your natural game.’ It’s nice to have that freedom,” Banton said. “I realize it’s only a small thing from the staff, but it provides the support that if it doesn't work, it’s not a disaster. It is so small but for me it’s, ‘OK, I’ve got the backing from the manager and I can go out and perform.’”

Venue Change and Team Selection

Following the initial matches of the contest at the South Island ground, a stadium with unusually long boundaries, England finish the series on the next day at Eden Park, a dual-purpose rugby and cricket ground where the field edge at 55m is among the most compact in the world. With changeable conditions and an unfamiliar venue they have dropped their usual practice of announcing their lineup ahead of time while they determine if their preferred team for this match will be the identical as the side that started both previous games.

Squad Adjustments for One-Day Matches

On Friday, they travel to Mount Maunganui and turn focus to one-day internationals, with a slightly amended squad: three players drop out, while four others come in. Three of those players arrived in the city on the same day but the scheduling of the bowler's Ashes preparations implies he will follow two days later, travelling with two fellow bowlers, two seamers who are also preparing for the Tests in Australia but are excluded from the white-ball squad. Consequently Archer will miss the first match at the venue, the stadium where he was subjected to abuse on his only previous appearance, in a few years back.